# CRM Optimization Checklist

**SoftwareGlimpse resource** · Stage: Optimize · Kind: Checklist  
**Last reviewed:** 2026-08-14

Improve a **live** CRM in owned themes: **next-step hygiene** on open deals, **stuck stages**, forecast/report trust, **unused opportunity fields**, email sync failures, and **orphan automations**. Not a second buying cycle. No invented health scores or vendor rankings.

**Related:** [Cleanup checklist](/resources/crm-cleanup-checklist.md) · [Security checklist](/resources/crm-security-checklist.md) · [Training plan](/resources/crm-training-plan.md)  
**Guides:** [Implementation](/guides/crm-implementation/) · [ROI](/guides/crm-roi-guide/)  
**Tools:** [Finder](/tools/crm-finder/) · [Cost Calculator](/tools/crm-cost-calculator/)

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## How to use

1. Run a **60-minute CRM health pass** (next-step gaps, stuck stages, forecast trust, sync failures, automation noise).
2. Pick **one theme** for the sprint.
3. Assign owners and done-when criteria below.
4. Ship a small change; reinforce for two weeks in the live ritual (Monday/Friday board).
5. Review exit criteria — then next theme or pause.

**Rule:** remove unused opportunity fields and orphan automations before adding net-new complexity.

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## Sprint header

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Date / health pass by | |
| Theme this sprint | Next steps / Stages-forecast / Fields-automation |
| Admin owner | |
| Manager / change owner | |
| Exit criteria | |
| Review date | |
| Admin hours/week funded | |

---

## A. Adoption & next-step hygiene

- [ ] **Login / active-user pattern by role** — list low-use roles with a hypothesis (Admin)
- [ ] **% of open deals missing a dated next step** — capture baseline (Sales ops)
- [ ] **Open deals over stage-age threshold** — stuck-stage coaching list (Manager)
- [ ] **Inventory side channels** — sheets, shared inbox, Slack trackers still bypassing CRM (Manager)
- [ ] **Map weekly rituals to CRM views** — pipeline review, forecast, handoff (Manager)
- [ ] **Interview 3 users for friction** — what they skip on the opportunity layout and why (Change owner)
- [ ] **Lead response / routing SLA** — age of unworked leads (or N/A if lead-less) (Ops)

**Theme exit (adoption):** named ritual runs from CRM for two consecutive weeks, or explicit decision that product gap → evaluate replace.

---

## B. Stages, forecast & handoff honesty

- [ ] **Re-read stage definitions and exit criteria with sellers** — checkpoints vs aspiration (Sales lead)
- [ ] **Coach or fix top stuck-stage deals** — advance, regress, or close; no silent aging (Manager)
- [ ] **Align forecast categories with stage meanings** — one shared definitions page (Ops + manager)
- [ ] **Audit required fields on create/advance** — remove or defer vanity requireds on opportunities (Admin)
- [ ] **Validate Closed-Won → delivery handoff** — minimal note/fields (agency-critical) (CS / delivery)
- [ ] **Confirm pipelines still needed** — merge motions that share checkpoints (Ops)
- [ ] **Win/loss reason hygiene** — picklist still meaningful? (Sales ops)
- [ ] **Inactive-owner or wrong-owner open deals** — reassign; hand deep dupes to cleanup (Sales ops)

**Theme exit (process):** stage definitions published; stuck-deal / forecast review uses the board without a side sheet.

---

## C. Opportunity fields, sync & automation debt

- [ ] **Retire unused opportunity fields from layouts** — usage/layout audit + manager confirm (Admin)
- [ ] **Cull unused dashboards / clutter views** — keep ritual stuck-stage and forecast views (Admin)
- [ ] **Inventory active automations** — owner, trigger, last success (stage-based especially) (Admin)
- [ ] **Retire or fix orphan / failing automations** — noise trains people to ignore the system (Admin)
- [ ] **Check task / alert fatigue on open deals** — narrow or remove at least one noisy rule (Manager)
- [ ] **Spot-check email sync failures** — wrong contact match or stopped sync (Ops)
- [ ] **Spot-check form capture / billing integrations** — failures create shadow data (Ops)

**Theme exit (fields/automation):** managers open the agreed view in the ritual; orphan/broken automations = zero or ticketed; layouts leaner.

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## D. Capacity, niche fit & governance

- [ ] **Admin hours/week funded** — optimization without capacity is theater (Sponsor)
- [ ] **Lightweight CRM change log** — stages, fields, automations; last three changes (Admin)
- [ ] **Role-based refresh training** — 15–30 minutes tied to this theme (Change owner)
- [ ] **Niche: field / mobile update friction** — next step + stage from phone (or N/A) (Field lead)
- [ ] **Niche: FS forecast discipline or agency handoff completion** — pick if relevant (Ops)
- [ ] **Queue access review** — date next security/access pass (Admin)
- [ ] **Hand duplicates & inactive-user hygiene to cleanup checklist** — email/domain dupes (Ops)
- [ ] **Decide: optimize further / pause / evaluate replace** — written decision (Sponsor)

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## Health-pass notes (optional freeform)

**Next-step / stuck-stage observations:**  

**Hypothesis:**  

**What we will not fund this quarter:**  

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## Tips

- One theme per sprint beats a covert “CRM 2.0” rebuild.
- If must-haves are structurally missing after an honest pass, reopen evaluation — do not optimize around a hard product gap forever.
- Pair hygiene batches with the [cleanup checklist](/resources/crm-cleanup-checklist.md).